F1 fans return to Interlagos after nearly two years, but many are unmasked.

Almost two years after his last stage, the motorsport fan returned to Interlagos to contemplate an F1 event. The organization expects an audience of up to 170,000 attendees, counting the three days (Friday to Sunday).

With this, the São Paulo GP, which takes place this Sunday (14), at 2 pm, should be one of the attractions with the largest number of people gathered in Brazil amidst the pandemic.

The racecourse has a capacity of 60 thousand people. The record in a sporting event in Brazil during the pandemic was 60,142 fans in the duel between Atlético-MG and América, in Belo Horizonte, last Sunday (7), for the Campeonato Brasileiro.

Home of F1 since 1990, the capital of São Paulo could not receive the category in 2020 precisely because of the coronavirus, which frustrated motor sport enthusiasts and affected pockets, above all, in the services and commerce sector.

The public’s return to Interlagos also carried the expectation of people’s behavior amidst two ghosts that afflict Brazilians: inflation and the fear of contracting the virus, which has already left more than 610,000 dead across the country.

To enter the racetrack, it was necessary to present proof of vaccination (two doses or a single dose), issued by the Chronus i-Passport app, a kind of health passport for the event. Before turning the turnstile, the digital certificate was verified by an employee.

Those who did not take the vaccine had to present a negative test (including children aged 5 to 12 years), being mandatory the antigen type, performed within 24 hours before each access to the racecourse, or the RT-PCR exam, performed within 48 hours before each access.

At least four tents offered testing in the vicinity of the racecourse – the antigen test for a cost of R$ 80 and the RT-PCR, R$ 280. The latter is accompanied by a report and has been the favorite of the foreign public who, after the race, they will travel by plane to return to their countries.

In one of these tents, two nurses performed 60 tests until this Saturday, around 14:00.

“Among the majority [dos testados] there is the public that comes from another country, but there are also deniers who guarantee that they will not get the vaccine”, says nurse Raquel Bueno.

With the mandatory use of a mask, the accessory is now offered by street vendors and neighboring stores at a minimum cost of R$ 2.

The protocols mainly emptied the paddock, an area where pilots, team members and various guests, such as artists and athletes, usually pass through and socialize.

The teams’ offices, which until 2019 received guests and offered food and beverages, including alcoholic beverages, no longer had the service.

The organization should release the official public numbers only after the race this Sunday (14).

Friends Arthur Machado and Gabriele Fischer, both 24 years old, came from Curitiba and, after making an investment of R$ 50 thousand (between tickets, accommodation, tickets and tours), they will be able to fulfill their desire to accompany the GP.

“It’s a family passion, regardless of Hamilton or Verstappen, I’ve always wanted to follow a race,” says Gabriele.

They guaranteed entrances to sector D, whose admission costs R$ 2,800 each and, as attractions, the covered bleachers are installed at the beginning of the S of the Senna curve and there is an open bar service, as well as a big screen and point of sale for official products. teams.

A cup at the event costs R$50 and there are hats between R$500 and R$900, depending on the team. A Mercedes polo shirt costs R$1,100.

In bars near the stands, the meat skewer is sold for R$19, the can of beer (350 ml) for R$13.50 and the soda for R$9.

Passionate about F1, the Brazilian Jhonny Ferraz, 28, was delighted to step on the race track. In 2019, he gave up for family and financial reasons, but promised to save and planned to come to Interlagos in 2020.

“It was, correctly, cancelled, but I was frustrated. I’m feeling safe with the protocols, there’s a respect from the public, even though not everyone is wearing a mask”, says Ferraz, who estimates he will spend around R$3,000 on the tour. “It was really worth it, the championship is exciting as it hasn’t been for years.”

The use of a mask was mandatory, with relaxation only during meals. However, there were those who ignored her this Saturday.

The organization of F1 had promised to spread totems of alcohol gel 70% throughout the racecourse, which until this Saturday (13th) was not confirmed.

Outside, there were few fans in the streets around the racecourse. Those who circulated in the region were constantly approached by money changers, who sold tickets at prices three to four times more expensive than official ones.

Even without money to follow F1 in the stands, the family of professor Cleber Eduardo Rubio, 50, stayed a few minutes in front of one of the gates so that young Gabriel, 13, a Lewis Hamilton fan, could hear the roar of the engines.

“He’s a big fan, he loves watching the races,” said his mother, sales coordinator Karen Borges, 43. She and her husband hadn’t been to Interlagos since 2007, a year before Gabriel’s birth, when they watched the race win. Finn Kimi Raikkonen, who will retire from F1 this year.

Along with daughter Samantha, 12, Cleber complained about ticket prices. “When I went to look at the prices, they only had the most expensive ones. For the four of us, it would have been almost R$5,000. There was no way,” said the professor, uncomfortable with the approach of the money changers.